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Saturday, December 20, 2014

It Appears A Yankees Youth Movement Has Begun

When I heard yesterday that Martin Prado had been traded to the Miami Marlins, the first thing I thought was that Rob Refsnyder, the Yankees' highly touted prospect, would definitely get a chance to compete for the 2B job this coming Spring Training. Apparently, I was in the minority. Everyone else was crying. There were posts of despair all over social media about the loss of Prado, his versatility on the field and his potential leadership off it. It wasn't until this mourning period had passed, about fifteen minutes later, that others joined me in daydreaming about "Yankees 2B Rob Refsnyder."

Apparently, GM Brian Cashman is daydreaming about it, too. In an article on the Yankee website, he was quoted as saying, "After we signed Headley, we felt we had these young kids [Jose Pirela and Refsnyder] who could compete and take the job there at second. Only with the right deal would we move Prado, and we felt this was a deal worth taking a shot at."

The Yankees also received a young kid back for Prado, 24-year-old RHP Nathan Eovaldi, whom they're hoping they can fix the same way they fixed Brandon McCarthy in 2014. (The remainder of the deal actually looks better at this point, as pitchers like David Phelps are a dime-a-dozen, and Garrett Jones can backup the lazy Mark Teixeira at 1B.)

This trade wasn't the only indication that a youth movement has begun in Yankees Universe. Earlier in the week it was revealed that the Yankees decided to pass on pursuing Jason Grilli, a 38-year-old relief pitcher.

So, with Cashman's comments and the spurning of Grilli, going after Asdrubal Cabrera to play 2B, as some have suggested, makes very little sense. Also, when you remember that they signed 2B Nick Noonan to a minor league contract earlier this offseason, it makes even less sense.

The Yankees appear committed to the kids from here on out, and I couldn't be happier about it.